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Soldiers and policemen are tasked to protect the communities they serve, striking a delicate balance between getting rid of lawless elements while engaging their communities in a positive way and respecting human rights in all their undertakings. The former requires them to undergo rigorous combat training while the latter entails a different approach, moving from the old stance of winning the war to the new and far more positive one of winning the peace.   

Twenty-five members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) completed a 10-day Community Relations Training (CRT) Programme from 15 to 25 January in Camp Bud Datu in Indanan, Sulu. It is part of the AFP’s reflective reform programme for combatant units currently deployed in Sulu to enhance the security sector’s relations with the community.

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Shown in photo are (from left) Ky Johnson, Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation; Deputy Ambassador Trevor Lewis and Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps as they present a certificate of completion to one of the participants of the CRT Programme

The training course is the first of six in 2012 which will cover all AFP units and their PNP counterparts currently deployed in Sulu. This effort was spearheaded by the Philippine Marines Sulu Island Command and their civil society partners which comprise the Task Force Kahanungan Network, with support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) through The Asia Foundation.

British Deputy Ambassador Trevor Lewis, who attended the graduation ceremony in Sulu, lauded the initiative. "I was very impressed to hear about this project where we see cooperation between the military, the police and civil society working together to build a bridge with law enforcement agencies and the local community," he said, adding that the CRT Programme "will contribute to creating an environment that will support whatever government structure the future brings to this region."

Armed with a deeper understanding of their role in peace-keeping and peace-building in the community, the participants have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and positive attitude in engaging local communities while in support of community-empowered peace and development efforts.

The CRT Programme is the first peace building initiative where the AFP engages in broad collaboration with the civil society immersing with the grassroots at community level.  With a locally conceptualized, designed and assessed curriculum, the development of the training was based on the identified essential tasks of a typical Marine deployed in Sulu, including engaging Muslim communities for peace and development efforts.

Col. Romulo Quemado, Deputy Commander of the 9^th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) said, “We need the help of the people of Sulu for the AFP to understand the over-all context of our operational environment while enhancing our community relations to achieve better understanding of the people we have sworn to serve and protect. The CRT project contributed a lot in changing the image of the AFP and in restoring broken relations brought about by long standing conflicts between the military and the people.”

The CRT series has no current equivalent course in the AFP and is expected to be an integral part of the over-all effort to enhance the security sector's relations with the communities it serves. To attain a multiplier effect, the programme will delve on a "train the trainers" concept, and video or audio recordings of key lectures will be disseminated as field augmentative instructional materials for far-flung detachments.  

Among the training outcomes of the CRT Programme are: (1) Understand the socio-cultural, religious and historical context in Sulu and superimpose this during community engagement opportunities; (2) Develop self-awareness in relation to the over-all peace campaign for Sulu; (3) Establish a sustainable partnership with key sectors of the local community; (4) Participate in community dialogues or informal/casual engagements; (5) Facilitate and partner over community-empowered socio-economic development projects based on community needs assessments and dialogues; and (6) Conduct effective advocacies in support of community peace-building efforts.